2012 racing schedule,the good the bad and the ugly.Chasing dreams in the peloton

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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

speed challenged

Its truly a beautiful day in the OC. All my previous rants on the weather and here we sit in clear blue skies with some pretty warm temps.
Without checking I'm calling it mid 60's.
I really should have made it a ride day but I couldn't get my but going quick enough to have made it a good ride. I didn't want to just go out and put 15 or so miles in and not get a real good work out in.
So as I sat there on the couch this morning belittling myself about above laziness.
I decided I would hit the gym today and press a solid core workout for 30 minutes at high reps and high intensity and then jump right into a treadmill interval work out at 5k distance.

First it felt good to do some solid reps for resistance in another discipline. I was pretty strong and kept everything real tight and smooth being careful not to over stretch or strain. I got a solid session in mixing in chest,back,shoulders,tris,bis and abs.
T1 to run was smooth and fast :) going right into a fairly easy 10 mpm pace for the first mile.
Moving it to 9 mpm @ 1.5. I held that until 2.2 miles then did 2 minute surges @ 7:31 pace.
I have to say I am everyday amazed how you people hold 5,6,7 and even 8 mpm paces for distance.
Sure I'm heavier than the average runner, but there are plenty my size and bigger on here that would make me look silly.
I don't like this treadmill thing, but if this is the next step at getting faster, I'm in.
I really feel like I'm in decent shape (cardio wise) and fitness is ever changing as I slowly chip away at these last 10-15 pounds. But I really feel I have so far to go to even be sub 9 runner for any real distance, like 10k or better.
I'm not as concerned as I am in awe of some of you.

When did it change for you ?
How long did it take ?
I'm fairly consistent (I THINK) please tell me if I'm not.
I started running "again" August 8th. Am I not being realistic with this time frame of progress ?

This was a shot on the freeway heading to the gym. Ugly scenery, but beautiful day.

Do I need to sacrifice days like this to stay consistent on the mill to push myself ?

I dont know much about running. I'm just doing it and whatever speed I go, it is what it is.

I started back in August too. I took time offer in sep/oct but have diligently been running since. I went from 6:30min/km to 5:15min/km at about 15km distance. Thats with only running 3 times a week. I can hold a 4:54min/kim for up to 10km but that's as far as I can sustain it right now. I'm hoping to break sub 5min/kim for 20km by spring. At this point, my problem is more technique than strength/cardio.

I started in 2007 and I would say it took me almost a year before I trusted myself to go faster. It was a mind thing. Can I go that long at a faster pace? I tried and was successful and then kept my training at that pace and increased my speed workouts. Intervals were the best for me but do them outside and not on the treadmill so you can get a feel for your body.